The 10th Anniversary special issue of the Journal of Children and Media (JOCAM) is here! Called JOCAM NEXT, the issue includes forward-looking pieces about the future of research on children & media, from some of the leading thinkers in our field. Link to the special issue here - articles are free to download, for a limited time.

Also included is Vicky Rideout's commentary on why it makes sense to continue doing our best to measure the time children and teens spend with various types of media, using quantitative, nationally representative, probabilistic samples - despite the many challenges of doing so. The article includes lots of key data from the recent Common Sense Census: Media Use By Tweens and Teens, now available in an academic journal.

danah boyd puts the 'spotlight' on Vicky Rideout in the International Communications Association's newsletter for the Division on Children, Adolescents & Media

The next wave of the Common Sense Census: Media Use Among 0-8 Year-Olds (2017). We'll survey more than 1,000 parents to measure young children's access to and use of media, including television, touchscreens, computers, e-books, print, apps, and video games - and we'll look at the newest media such as Virtual Reality and virtual assistants (think Siri, or Alexa). And we'll track trends in screen use since the last study in 2013.

May, 2016: Spoke at a Congressional Briefing sponsored by Congressman Mike Honda and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee titled Digital Equity: Bridging the Digital Access Divide. The briefing was the first in a series titled Education Through the Lens, which will explore various aspects of educational equity.

...

March, 2016: Participated in a panel discussion with the SVP for current programming at NBCand others at an event for Hollywood writers and producers, hosted by the Hollywood Radio and Television Societyand the Clinton Foundation, titled Parents, Hollywood, and the Power of Storytelling.

...

October 2015: Participated in a panel discussion with Professor Craig Watkins at a strategic planning retreat for the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

...

October 2015: Facilitated a session at the National Academy of Science's colloquium on Digital Media and Developing Minds in Irvine, California, which brought together neuroscientists, developmental psychologists, child development experts, pediatricians, media effects specialists, social scientists, experts in informatics and computer sciences, public health and environmental health scientists, educators and child advocacy groups to develop a common research agenda.

...

March 2015: Presentation to a National Academies of Science workshop on changing behavioral health social norms. Presentation focused on evaluationing the effects of health content embedded in the popular entertainment television show show Grey's Anatomy. Watch the workshop here. ...

October 2014: Presentation about trends in digital media use among young children, and the ongoing importance of the digital divide, at the Digital Kids Summit. Watch a video of the presentation here.

Forget TV! iPhones and iPads dazzle babiesCNN, Kelly Wallace, October 29, 2013When I had my first daughter more than seven years ago, I was adamant: no TV until she was 2 years old and limited exposure after that. As a reporter, I had done enough stories on children and screen time, and knew full well that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time for babies under 2. Read More >

On The Air This Week, We're Exploring Digital ChildhoodNPR All Tech Considered, Elise Hu, October 28, 2013For our first attempt at a theme week, we chose "raising digital natives," or, more simply, technology and our kids. It's especially good timing — the American Academy of Pediatrics this morning released updated guidelines on whether parents should allow screen time, relaxing previous rules. (We'll link to it when the group publishes it.) And the non-profit Common Sense Media is showing that among children under two, that 38 percent had used mobile devices like iPhones and tablets. Read More >

The earliest of adoptersMarketplace, Amy Scott, October 28, 2013A new study from the group Common Sense Media found that 38 percent of children under two have used a mobile device, like an iPhone or tablet computer. That’s up from 10 percent just two years ago. “Today, as many little babies and one-year-olds have used smart phones or tablets as all kids under the age of 8 had done nearly two years ago,” says Jim Steyer, CEO of Common Sense. “That’s a phenomenal increase.” Read More >

Kids’ Use of Mobile Gadgets Grows 89%WSJ, Geoffrey, Fowler, October 28, 2013New research from child advocacy group Common Sense Media has found that children’s use of tablets, smartphones and other portable gadgets with screens has exploded over the last two years, just as doctors warn too much screen time could be bad for kids. Read More >

New Milestone Emerges: Baby’s First iPhone AppNY Times, Tamar Lewin, October 27, 2013As adults turn, increasingly, to mobile devices like tablets, Kindles, and iPhones, their children — even the smallest ones — are doing so as well, according to a new study, “Zero to Eight: Children’s Media Use in America, 2013” by Common Sense Media, a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that examines children’s use of technology, and rates children’s apps, games and Web sites. Read More >

Study: Kids Mobile Media Consumption ExplodingB&C, John Eggerton, October 27, 2013If a new study is on the mark, TV everywhere efforts that include Nickelodeon, Disney Channel or other kids-targeted television could reap big rewards among the toddlers with tablets set. Young children's access to mobile media devices has exploded in the past two years, although television is still the medium of choice, and educational television is the most-watched genre. Read More >

TV violence highlights parents' roleJune 8, 2013, SF Gate"The media industry are really big players on Capitol Hill, and they don't want" a universal ratings system, said Vicky Rideout, a San Francisco resident who has been one of the nation's leading researchers on children and media violence for two decades. She's an editor for the Journal of Children and Media. Read More >

Toddlers and Tablets: Way of the Future?June 5, 2013, ABC NewsA survey by Northwestern's School of Communication of 2,300 parents of children aged to 8-years-old found that 37 percent of parents still report they are likely to use their tablet or smartphone to entertain their kids, despite the fact that 54 percent worry their children's use of mobile devices had a negative impact on their physical activity. Read More >

Most Parents Show Little Worry About Media Use, Survey SaysJune 4, 2013, New York TimesDo parents worry about the growing amount of time their children spend with media? One new study suggests that most parents are largely unconcerned. And perhaps no wonder: Parents who show little concern about their children’s use of technology themselves spend big chunks of their leisure time with media. The study’s co-author, Vicky Rideout, an independent researcher who over the last decade has done pioneering research into patterns of technology use, said she was surprised to find that 59 percent of the 2,300 parents surveyed were not worried... Read Article >

Study: No screen-time war in young kids' homesMost parents of children 8 and younger aren't concerned about media use, NU report saysJune 3, 2013, Chicago Tribune Contrary to popular belief, parents say they are firmly in control when it comes to managing their young children's media use, according to a report scheduled for release Tuesday by researchers at Northwestern University. Screen time has long been viewed as a common parent headache, along with fussy eating and poor sleeping habits. But despite all the hand-wringing over the ubiquitous smartphones, tablets and other digital devices woven into American family life, it is not the battleground often portrayed in magazines, TV shows and elsewhere. Read More >

Reading, Writing and Video GamesMarch 15, 2013, New York TimesWHEN I was a child, I liked to play video games. On my brother’s Atari, I played Night Driver. On his Apple II, I played Microwave, Aztec and Taipan! When I got to go to the arcade, I played Asteroids and Space Invaders. Here’s what I learned: At a certain level on Microwave, the music from the bar scene in Star Wars comes on. If I am at the front line when aliens descend to Earth, we’ll all be in trouble. Read More >

Wasting Time Is New Divide In Digital EraMay 30, 2012: In the 1990s, the term ''digital divide'' emerged to describe technology's haves and have-nots. It inspired many efforts to get the latest computing tools into the hands of all Americans, particularly low-income families. Read More >

Do toddlers really need computers to learn?December 12, 2011 - USA TODAY Time was when all kids wanted for Christmas was to sit on Santa's lap. Now, they may get a laptop. This year, a number of toymakers are hoping to stuff babies' stockings with kid-size computers, some targeting babies too young to talk — a trend that worries many parents and pediatricians. Read More >

Kids and Screen TimeNovember 17, 2011How does screen time affect kids? And does the answer change if you're talking about e-books, educational television, computer math games? We explore the latest on kids and technology. Listen Now >

Screen Time Higher Than Ever for ChildrenOctober 25, 2011, New York TimesJaden Lender, 3, sings along softly with the “Five Little Monkeys” app on the family iPad, and waggles his index finger along with the monkey doctor at the warning, “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!” He likes crushing the ants in “Ant Smasher,” and improving his swing in the golf app. But he is no app addict: when the one featuring Grover from Sesame Street does not work right, Jaden says, “Come on, iPad!’” — then wanders happily off to play with his train set. Read More >

Toddler Video: Survey Says Young Kids are Tuned InOctober 25, 2011, Broadcasting & CableSome 39% of 2-4-year-olds use a smart phone or tablet, and more than half (52%) of kids ages 5-8 do so. That is according to a just-released national study from Common Sense Media. "For parents, pediatricians, and child development experts concerned about screen media use among children under two, this report indicates that a substantial number of infants and toddlers are watching TV and DVDs on a regular basis," the study concluded. It is the first of a series of reports from Common Sense as part of its new Program for the Study of Children and the Media, which is headed by Vicky Rideout, former VP of the Kaiser Family Foundation. "These results make it clear that media plays a large and growing role in children's lives, even the youngest of children," said Rideout, president of VJR Consulting. Read More >

Toddlers and TelevisionOctober 27, 2011, KQEDAccording to a new survey, nearly half of children age two and younger watch an average of two hours of TV per day. But the American Academy of Pediatrics just issued a policy saying parents should keep children under two as "screen-free" as possible, citing research that shows harmful effects on early development. Read More >

Kids Increasingly Staring at Glowing Screens, Study FindsOctober 25, 2011, PBS NewsHourPediatricians have long warned of the risks of exposing young children to too much television and other electronic devices. A new study suggests such warnings are having little effect. The study, released today by Common Sense Media, surveyed nearly 1,400 parents. Read More >

As more use tech, child development is an issueOctober 25, 2011, San Francisco ChronicleNearly half of babies under age 2 in the United States watch an average of two hours of TV every day, and 10 percent of children that age have used a smart phone, tablet or other mobile device at least once in their young lives, according to a survey released today. Read More >

Speech advice: Be upbeat, stick to message, be goneThe Associated PressBOSTON - In a windowless room beneath the podium, a team of speechwriters is imposing John Kerry's will on the words of the other speakers at the Democratic National Convention. Their orders: Go easy on the Bush bashing. Each speech is read and re-read, heavily edited and rehearsed as part of a tightly controlled process designed to impress independent voters who are tired of negative politics. Read More >